blog

Feb 10

IS IT IN THE STARS?

On November 9,1731 Benjamin Banneker was born to Robert and Mary Banneker in Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland who were both freed slaves. The fact that his mother was a a free woman meant that he was free upon birth.

While Mr Banneker was educated by Quakers, the bulk of his education was self taught. In his early twenties he constructed a wooden clock, even though he had only ever seen one other timepiece in his life. He also taught himself astronomy and accurately forecasted lunar and solar eclipses.

He is most acclaimed for his Almanac which was published from 1792 until 1797. These almanacs included his own astronomical calculations as well as opinion pieces,literature and tidal information, among other things.

Aside from the almanacs, Mr. Banneker also published information on bees and calculated the cycle of the 17 year locust.

His brilliance could not be diminished by his modest beginnings, for his destiny was always in the stars.